Someone saw the woman accept the ten taels of silver and followed suit, saying, "I've heard about it too. Your house is next door to Mrs. Tang's, and I often hear Mrs. Qi and Mrs. Feng chatting at Mrs.Tang's house. One time, Mrs. Qi said that she saw Mr. Qin Qianfu hunting two wild boars. They were very big and full of meat. Mrs. Feng then said that all the wild boars in the mountains had been hunted by the Qin family. After they hunted them, they ate the wild boars but didn't even bother to share some of the meat with their colleagues in the family quarters."
So Mrs. Tang said, "That's right. It's useless to feed a prodigal woman who can't lay eggs." Then Mrs.Tang said, "I have a younger sister at home who is very beautiful. What do you think about introducing her to Lord Qin?"
Mrs. Qi immediately said, "That time, Mrs. Tang said that Master Qin would take a concubine sooner or later. Mrs. Qin, you believe it."
Yang Haiyan also asked the woman, "Sister-in-law, if I go to the authorities to file a complaint, are you willing to testify?"
The woman also said readily: "Of course I will go."
So, Nanny Lian gave the woman another ten taels of silver.
Yang Haiyan said, "Aunt Fan, go back to the house and ask Chen Dashi to ride on horseback to report to the authorities so that they can go faster."
Aunt Fan: "Yes." She turned around and ran towards Qianfu's house.
Snap...
A man emerged from the crowd and slapped Mrs.Tang in the face: "Did you say these words? If you did, apologize to Mr. Qin and Mrs. Qin."
Mrs. Tang was also stunned, and a mouthful of blood smeared on the ground: "No..." She looked at the two women who were willing to testify, then gritted her teeth and knelt down, saying, "Mrs. Qin, I was mean, it's my fault. I beg you to forgive me."
When Mrs. Feng saw Mrs. Tang kneeling down to apologize, she also knelt down and stammered an apology: "Mrs. Qin, I'm also wrong. Please forgive me, please."
They were truly terrified. They had never considered that such a thing could be reported to the authorities. Ordinary people wouldn't report gossip to the authorities, and even if they did, no one would complain. But the Centurion's wife was a commoner, and Yang Haiyan was an official's wife. Even though Qin Fang was only a seventh-rank official, and she was untitled and of lower rank, she was still an official's wife.
However, ordinary people with a little common sense would not gossip about the right and wrong of officials' families.
Of course, the situation wasn't that serious. Yang Haiyan was simply bullying them for being
"illiterate." Their behavior showed they were uncouth and ignorant of the law. So, using these laws to frighten them was just the right thing to do.
Yang Haiyan had read books on the law since arriving in this world, firstly to protect herself and secondly to understand what was and wasn't allowed.
Mr. Tang and Mr. Feng also came out and said, "Master Qin, Madam Qin, it is our fault for not disciplining you properly. Please calm down."
Although Qin Fang wanted to punch them, he held back. "This matter has nothing to do with you. You spend all day in the barracks, devoting yourself to the military. How could you have imagined that there are women at home who would hinder you?" Qin Fang's words were a great way to give the two centurions face. Whether they knew it or not, among
so many people, their reputation was indeed important. Of course, this remark also implicitly mocked Mrs. Tang and Mrs. Feng.
Yang Haiyan said, "My husband, you are absolutely right. This matter has nothing to do with the two centurions. You have defended our country and are heroes that I, your wife, admire. However, I truly cannot forgive what you two ladies have said and done."
When they heard Yang Haiyan say that she couldn't forgive them, Mrs. Tang and Mrs. Feng kowtowed and apologized: "Mrs. Qin, we were wrong, we were really wrong. We still have children. Please give us a chance. We won't spread rumors again. Mrs. Qin, please..."
Yang Haiyan sobbed briefly and said aggrievedly,
"Since the two centurions and my husband are colleagues, I can give you another chance, but you must write an apology and each of you must compensate me for the loss of my reputation by ten taels of silver."
Mrs. Tang and Mrs. Feng: "This….." Apology?
Damages for reputation loss?
Yang Haiyan immediately said expressionlessly: "If you don't want to, then we can go to court. I just don't know if you two can withstand the beating of the county magistrate."
Mrs. Tang and Mrs. Feng's buttocks tightened: "We write it, and we compensate."
Yang Haiyan then took out two apology letters and said, "Please read them once. If you have no questions, please sign them. If you don't know how to sign, you can put your fingerprints on them."
Mrs. Tang and Mrs. Feng were illiterate, but the two centurions could read. They saw that the apology contained no exaggerations and stated only the facts. It also stated: "... Because this incident has damaged the reputation of Qin Yangshi Haiyan, I will compensate her with ten taels of silver. I also promise not to spread rumors about Qin Yangshi in the future. If I break this promise, I will compensate her with one hundred taels of silver."
Mrs. Feng and Mrs. Tang pressed their fingerprints.
How could an ordinary family come up with ten taels of silver at once? The two centurions first paid five taels of silver each, and the remaining amount was five hundred coins per month, to be paid in ten installments.
After the apology bookmark was ready and the compensation was paid, the Feng and Tang families immediately returned to their own homes, closed the door, and put aside all their pride for the day.
Yang Haiyan then addressed the crowd, "Aunts, sisters-in-law, sisters, and younger sisters, I want to apologize to Mrs. Qi here today. I came to her house and beat her up without finding out the truth. I was wrong. I don't know what the person who told you was thinking, or whether he has a grudge against Mrs. Qi. But no matter what, Mrs. Qi has been hurt by this incident. I hope Mrs. Qi will forgive me."
Mrs. Qi said quickly, "No, no, no, I shouldn't have listened to their nonsense. I didn't know what was good for me and just joined in the fun." She regretted it. Yang Haiyan had rushed in and scared her. Later, when she heard Yang Haiyan say that she would accompany her in a play, she didn't dare to object.
Although it was just an act, her face really hurt; the slap was a real pain. However, she also knew that Yang Haiyan was doing it for her own good, because if she didn't make such a fuss, Mrs. Tang and Mrs.Feng would definitely bite her. Besides, Mrs. Feng had seen her get into Mrs. Qin's carriage that morning.
Now that she was a victim, it was different.
Yang Haiyan held her hand and said, "I'm sorry. This ten taels of silver is compensation. Madam Qi, please ask a doctor to take a look. Also, all the bowls and dishes in your house have been broken by me. You need to buy some more. Don't be polite with me." After giving the silver to Madam Qi, Yang Haiyan said to Qin Fang, "Husband, let's go back."
Qin Fang supported her: "Yeah."
After Qin Fang and his wife left with their servants, everyone saw the Qi family sweeping away the broken bowls and spilled dishes. The performance was quite realistic.
When they got home and entered the yard, Qin Fang suddenly hugged her from behind: "I'm sorry, I made you suffer." She cried so sadly just now, it was all his fault.
Yang Haiyan: "..." She broke free from his arms, then put her hand over his eyes and wiped them.
Qin Fang squinted his eyes immediately, but it was too late to open them. His eyes were irritated and immediately turned red, and a few tears flowed out.
Qin Fang squinted his eyes immediately, but it was too late to open them. His eyes were irritated and immediately turned red, and a few tears flowed out.
Qin Fang: "You bad woman." He hugged her,
"You lied to me and it hurts my heart."
Yang Haiyan yelled, "Put me down now!"
Qin Fang: "No." He threw the man onto the bed and pressed down heavily on him. "You are so bad, you are so bad."
Yang Haiyan couldn't help laughing: "You are so stupid, you are really stupid." She didn't even know whether it was true or not, what a fool she was.
Qin Fang snorted, then lowered his head, buried it in her chest, and bit her breast hard through her clothes.
Yang Haiyan was stunned: "You hooligan, you hooligan..." Where did he learn this?
After what happened between Mrs. Tang and Mrs.Feng, there was a lot of gossip in the family room, but the protagonists of the gossip were Mrs. Tang and Mrs. Feng.
Yang Haiyan didn't ask about these things.
In the blink of an eye, it was mid-May.
That day, Uncle Hong brought good news. After ten days of observation, only two-thirds of the half-acre of broccoli transplanted in early May survived and are now in full bloom. In ancient times, chemical fertilizers were unavailable,and Yang Haiyan couldn't buy them. All she had was pig, chicken, and duck manure.
The farm housed twenty pigs, twenty chickens, and twenty ducks, and was managed by Niu Da and his family. Niu Da was in charge of the crops, while the family also took care of the weeding and poultry feeding. Niu Da earned a monthly salary of 100 wen (approximately 100 wen), while four people worked on the weeding and poultry feeding, each earning 50 wen (approximately 100 wen).
Weeding wasn't hard work, occurring only every few months, but feeding the poultry was quick because there were so many people involved. The work was particularly satisfying because it was right next door.
In this way, the family can earn 500 coins a month, which makes the villagers envious.
However, the villagers did not dare to do anything, after all, this was a government farm.
When Yang Haiyan heard this, she was really happy:
"When can the broccoli be harvested?" Broccoli was the name given by Yang Haiyan. Yang Haiyan said that when the peddler sold it to her, he told her that this vegetable was called broccoli.
Uncle Hong said, "Niu Da said that according to his calculations, we can start harvesting in early July.
Besides the broccoli, potatoes will be ready for harvest at the end of June, and sweet potatoes in early August. And you mentioned that the tomatoes have already been planted, but we'll have to wait and see. As for the fruit tree seedlings, they're growing well, but they'll need to be transplanted later. So far, they're doing fine, but once the trees are fully grown, they might become dense, requiring about an acre of land for transplanting."
Yang Haiyan thought for a moment and said, "After the sweet potato and potato harvest, I'll use the over one acre of land to transplant fruit trees." One hundred apple saplings, one hundred pear saplings.I hope they grow strong. We have a lot of poultry on the farm, but they can't just eat grass. Some eat sweet potatoes and rice bran, which we buy. After the potato and sweet potato harvest, the poultry will have something to eat."
Uncle Hong said, "Yes, I'll talk to Niu Da later."
Yang Haiyan thought for a moment and said, "Well, if there's nothing else to say, leave now."
After Uncle Hong left, Yang Haiyan started thinking about broccoli and was eager to eat it.
"Madam..." Nanny Lian came in from outside,
"Madam, there is a happy event in our house."
Yang Haiyan was curious: "What's going on in our house? Is Aunt Hong pregnant?" That's unlikely.
Only Hong Datou could walk. If Aunt Hong got pregnant again, it would be too hasty. Hong Datou, Uncle Hong's son.
Aunt Lian was really at a loss for words: "It's the private guard. Chen Dashi is getting married."
Yang Haiyan: "'..." This was too surprising for her,